


Underfoot

by sweetiepie08



Category: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, child rian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:34:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27909808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetiepie08/pseuds/sweetiepie08
Summary: Life in the Castle of the Crystal isn't easy, especially for the captain of the guard and his son. Rian struggles to ease his boredom while staying out of trouble. Ordon strives to balance raising his son with his duties as captain. Both seem to come up short, however they may try.But, when Ordon decides to start Rian's sword training early, they may find a way to connect with each other and bond as father and son.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Underfoot

One thing Rian liked about living in the castle was that there we're always good places to climb. He’d become well-acquainted with the stones that made up the place and yet there were always new surprises to be found. Exploring was rarely dull. Whether or not he should be in these places he explored was… questionable, but that's part of what made it so exciting. Even if his searches yielded no results, the thrill of sneaking around was exhilarating.

Today's expedition, however, led to a fascinating discovery and he simply itched to tell someone. He skipped along the parapet, well-balanced and surefooted, as he wondered who. Telling his father would only get him a lecture on why he shouldn't be wandering outside the main halls. The guards or podlings would just tell his father, leading to the same lecture. And he was absolutely not allowed to talk to the Lords unless, of course, they addressed him directly. Unfortunately, that left him with only one option.

Rian hopped off the balcony’s ledge and went off in search of that one. He hurried through the long hall, hoping to find his target. Instead, he spotted a couple of kitchen podlings pushing a large food cart. He climbed onto the archway molding to get out of their way. When they passed, he spotted the object of his search coming down the hall not far behind.

He hooked his knees in a hole in the molding, swinging himself upside down. “Tolyn,” he called, meeting the other boy face-to-face.

Tolyn jumped and nearly dropped his book. “Ugh, you're like a pop up toy from the fiery center of Thra.”

Rian laughed. “You say the weirdest stuff. Anyway,” he flipped down to the ground, landing perfectly on his feet, “you should see the secret passage I found. At the end, you can see into this room with a bunch of weird machines and animals…”

“You mean the stables?” Tolyn deadpanned.

“No, the stables are outside. This was inside. These weren't landstriders or nebries. They were little animals from all over Thra and they were all in cages and…”

Tolyn cut him off. “I don't care about your tall tales.”

“It's not-”

“Why aren't you with your tutor?”

Rian shrugged. “My lessons don't start yet.”

“Yes they do. They start at the same time as mine and I'm already on my first break.”

“No that can't be right,” Rian dismissed, although doubt began to creep in. “Yours must have moved up or something. Mine don't start until-”

“The hour bell rang, and rang, and rang. Rian mentally begged for it to stop. The more it rang, the later it was, and the later it was, the more trouble he was in. Finally it did. Ten chimes. A whole hour late. “My dad's going to kill me.”

Tolyn smirked smugly down at him. “Better get going before you find out what it's like to be in an Arathim.”

Rian took off down the halls, his legs pumping almost as fast as his heart. He'd been late before, but not a whole hour. Part of him was sure he'd wake up in his bed any moment. The rest of him knew it wasn't true.

He darted around corners and bounced off walls to avoid passing podlings. He came across two guards on their patrol and slid between them. “Excuse me, sorry.”

“There goes little Underfoot,” laughed Kornin, one of the Drenchen guards.

“Your father is looking for you, Rian,” Siora, one of the Vapran guards called after him.

“I know, I know,” he shouted back. He rounded the corner to the hall where his classroom was. His heart dropped when he saw his father talking with his tutor. He nearly skidded into them when his father stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Dad, I was just-”

His father’s cold glare was enough to silence him “Do you know what time your lessons start?”

Rian sighed. “The nineth bell of the morning.”

“And what time is it now?”

“I know I'm late, but I was exploring, and I can't see the brothers when I'm inside, so I don't know what time it is.”

“And the hour bells? Can you not hear those?”

“I lost track of time, but I have a good reason. I found a secret passage…”

His father let out a sharp breath. “I'm not interested in your stories, Rian,” he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “or your excuses. The nineth bell. That's when your lesson start. You should be at your desk by the nineth chime.”

“And what if I'm somewhere else in the castle and I don't make it by the nineth chime?”

“Tolyn spends his morning studying in the classroom.”

Rian groaned and slumped against the wall. “That's 'cause Tolyn’s dull.”

“And he's never late.” His father nodded sternly as if that settled things. “Now get in there and get to work. Since you missed your first hour, I imagine you'll be working through lunch.”

His heart sunk. “But more Maudra Fara’s coming at noon,” he argued. “You said I could greet her.”

“You should have thought of that before you skipped your lessons.”

“But-”

“Not another word,” his father commanded, pointing sharply into the room. Get in there, now.”

Unable to do anything else, Rian nodded and trudged inside, feeling his father's glare at the back of his head. As he sat down at his desk, he overheard his father and his tutor talking.

“I'm sorry he wasted your time this morning,” his father said. “He's not this late everyday, is he?

Master Behl glanced at him then shook their head. “He's not usually this late, but most days I'd say he doesn’t find his way into the classroom until about ten or fifteen minutes after the bell.”

His father let out a heavy sigh. “All right, I'll get my son under control.”

[-]

Ordon watched from the entry hall as the landstrider procession made its way up the castle's ramp. He felt a twinge of happiness at seeing these familiar riders. Most of them were his brothers and sisters in arms during the Arathim Wars and, of course, Maudra Fara was one of his oldest friends.

The riders halted when they reached the entry hall and dismounted. Stablehands reached to take the reins and lead the landstriders to the stables.

“Maudra Fara,” Ordon said, taking a bow.

“Captain Ordon.” Maudra Fara stared at him with stern eyes for a lingering moment before a smile broke on her face and she pulled him into a hug. “I see the castle hasn't crumbled to the ground under your watch.”

“No, not yet.” Ordon answered, releasing the embrace, “although there is one thing I'm struggling to keep a handle on.”

“Maudra Fara!” a young voice chirped.

He turned to see Rian running into the entry hall and taking a dive into Fara’s arms.

“There’s my favorite fizgig,” Fara laughed, squeezing him tight. “You're bigger than last I saw you.”

“Yes, I grew two inches,” Rian beamed proudly.

“Strong too. You're going to be bigger than a mounder.”

“Rian!” Ordon cracked the name like a whip and his son turned to attention. “Did your tutor let you out here?”

The boy had only to look down at his left foot for Ordon to know the answer. “I was just doing so well on my schoolwork…”

“Rian!” Master Belh came sweeping into the entry hall. “I gave you five minutes to stretch your legs and that was fifteen minutes ago.”

Ordon grabbed his son’s shoulder forcing him to look him in the eye. “You lied to me.”

“No, I said I was doing well on my schoolwork, which is a matter of opinion so technically…”

“You are working my last nerve today,” Ordon snapped. “Go with Master Behl now. If I get one more bad report about you today, I promise there will be consequences.”

Rian muttered, “yes father,” and followed the tutor back to the castle.

Ordon turned to his Maudra, ready to apologize for his son's behavior, only to see an amused smile on her face. “There goes the great warrior Ordon’s most challenging foe yet.”

“My son?”

“A problem you can't swing a sword at.” she smirked. “Admit it, you prefer the arathim sometimes.”

“In some ways, it was simpler,” he answered, beginning to escort her into the castle. “I knew my job and I knew how to do it well.”

“You aren't doing a bad job with him. He's a good kid. I see him running around in the summers at Stone-in-the-Wood. He gets along with nearly everyone. He's friendly and curious, eager to lend a helping hand, and he always has a smile in his face.”

“You think he'd be better off there?” This wasn’t the first time he wondered that.

“I think if you didn't stay with him he'd find his way back to you.” She reached out and touched his shoulder. “He idealizes you, you know? You can see it in his eyes. A single glance from you means the world to him.”

Ordon swallowed the lump in his throat. “So why doesn't he listen to me? He's a troublemaker, always pushing to see what he can get away with.”

“Yes, it's almost as if he's a childling or something.”

“Shoni would know what to do…” he mused, eyes cast to the floor. He’d felt that way since Rian was born. Shoni took to motherhood like a natural, but Ordon stumbled every step of the way.

“Let me guess,” Fara said, interrupting his memories, “when he misbehaves, you drop everything to get him back in line.”

“I must,” he answered snapping his eyes back toward her. “If I want him to stay with me, I need to keep him out of trouble.”

“And if he were to do as he's told, all day, every day, you'd be doing your job as usual and he'd get to see you when?”

 _He wants me?_ It made sense the more he thought about it. “I see your point but I don't know is how to rectify this.” He tried to make time for Rian, he really did, but being captain wasn’t easy. Along with his regular duties, he had to answer the orders of the Lords and deal with any problems that came up. It wasn’t as if he could ignore all that.

“This is a dreary place,” Fara observed, studying the dim halls. “I imagine he's bored. At his age, he's bound to find trouble if there's nothing else worth his time.”

“I never got into mischief at his age,” Ordron scoffed.

“Hmmm…” she murmured with a knowing smile.

“What?”

“How soon we forget the Great Autumn Festival Fizzgig Stampede.”

Ordon's eyes shot wide open. “Who told you about that?”

“Who told me? Please…” she laughed. “Gelfling still talk about it. If not for those stories, I'd have thought you were born a middle-aged curmudgeon.”

Finally, they reached the end of the hall where the Emperor’s throne room awaited. “I appreciate your counsel, Maudra,” Ordon said, resuming his more formal tone. “I will think on what you said.”

“Of course, it's what I do.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “As I said, you aren't doing a bad job with him. I don't see him turning to highway robbery in the future.”

“So my son may not grow up to be a criminal? Comforting thought.”

“He's a good kid, Ordon. You don't need to worry so much.” With that she slipped into the throne room’s waiting chamber to prepare for her meeting with the emperor.

As Ordon walked back to his post, he turned Fara’s words over in his mind. Rian was a good kid. He could agree to that. The boy was kind, friendly, and even smart when he applied himself. He never meant harm to anyone. He was just careless. He lacked discipline and direction.

 _Maurdra Fara is right. This was a dreary place, especially for a childling._ Rian had no other children to play with, save Tolyn who was a few years older and would come of age soon enough. He had no fields to run, in no trees to climb, no streams to swim in. This really was no place for a child to grow up. Perhaps he would be better off at Stone-in-the-Wood. The thought crossed his mind more than once.

But his job was here. His duty was to his Lords. He could not go and as Maudra Fara said Rian would not want to go Stone-in-the-Wood without him. In truth, Ordron didn't want that either. He didn't want Rian to feel abandoned by his last remaining parent and he refused to be separated from his son.

Perhaps there was something he could do here, something that would help get the boys energy out and connect him to his clan at Stone-in-the-Wood.

His hand fell on the hilt of his sword and he had an idea.

[-]

The room was still dark when Rian woke to a hand shaking his shoulder.

“Rian.” His father's voice broke through the haze of slumber. “Wake up.”

Rian could only stare clearly at his father's silhouette with half-open eyes. He heard Tolyn stir in the bunk above him.

“Captain Ordon?” Tolyn mumbled, still half asleep.

“Go back to sleep, Tolyn,” his father answered. “I just need Rian.”

“Dad…” he groaned, his mouth finally catching up with his brain. “What's going on?”

“Come on, get dressed. I've got something for you.”

Once Rian managed to get his feet on the floor, Ordon left to wait in the hall. He sleepwalked through dressing, wondering what this something could be. No doubt a punishment for for skipping out on lessons twice yesterday. He trudged out into the hall where his father waited. They walked in silence until they reached a viewing deck completely clear of any furniture, guards or podling. The only things there were two wooden swords resting against a pillar.

Ordon grabbed the swords and motioned for Rian come further out onto the deck.

“Dad?” Rian asked, taking a few steps after him.

His father merely turned to him and tossed him one of the swords. The wood slipped through his fingers. Rian looked back at his father, hoping for some explanation. He got none as his father only gestured for him to pick it up.

Rian took up the sword and, once it was in his hands, he realized this was no childling’s toy. The wood was expertly carved and smoothed. It had a crossguard, a chappe, a pommel, a fuller… Everything about it mimicked the real thing. “Dad, this is a wood training sword.”

“It is.”

“I thought I was too young.”

His father shrugged. “Perhaps you are or perhaps you can prove you're ready.”

“How?”

“A smirk formed on his father's lips. “Hit me.”

“What?”

His father didn't repeat himself. He shouldered his sword and turned his back. Rian didn't waste this opportunity. He raised his sword and ran toward his father, his footsteps pounding on the floor. Ordon slid to the left, avoiding sword fall.

Ordon started walking away and Rian followed. He swung again twice and twice Ordon blocked him without looking. Realizing noise was the problem, he kept his footsteps quiet as he snuck up behind his father and swung. Ordon had to turn this time to block. He swung two more times. His father jumped back to avoid the blows and countered with his own sword.

They went on like this, Rian swinging wildly trying to land a blow while his father stopped him every turn. Sometimes Ordon would disarm him, forcing Rian to fetch his sword and try again. Rian was never discouraged, though. With each failed attempt, his determination grew. This was exciting, challenging, and fun. What made it better was the spark in his father's eye. Ordon, the stern captain of the castle guard, was having fun too.

He was starting to get tired, but he was enjoying this too much to stop. He put all that remained of his energy into one final blow. He drove his sword forward. Ordon dodged to the side and grabbed Rian’s wrist, trapping him in an awkward position. He held his sword in the other hand, high above his head poised to strike.

Despite this, his father smiled down at him, pride in his eyes. Rian felt like he was on top of the world.

The hour bell rang eight and Ordon released him from his grasp. “Excellent work today,” he said, proud smile still on his face. “I think you're ready.”

“But I didn't land a single blow.”

“No, of course you didn't,” he answered, “but you never gave up. That's what I need from you Rian. I know you have drive, focus. I need you to show that here and with your schoolwork. If you want these lessons to continue, you will go to your school lessons on time, you will behave for Master Behl, and you will complete your work when it's due. Show me you can handle the responsibility, and I will give you this,” he held up one of the wood training swords, “to practice with in your free time. Can you do that?”

Rian was practically bursting with excitement. “Yeah dad! I can do that! You'll see!”

“Good, your training starts in earnest tomorrow. Now go wash up and have breakfast. You should have just enough time to make it to your lessons a few minutes early.”

“Sure thing!” He turned and ran down the hall, still wound up from his first word training lesson. He couldn't wait to tell the guards, and the stable hands, and he might even get to tell Maudra Fara before she left. Starting wood training was a rite of passage for a Stonewood gelfling and starting early was a great honor indeed.

He skidded to a halt. Of course, this was a great honor and his father had given it to him. And Rian hadn't thanked him.

He whipped around, bolted back to the deck, and launched himself into a hug. His father let out an “oomf” as Ryan squeezed his arms around his waist. Thanks Dad! Thank you so much! This is great! I’ll do good! I promise!”

“You're welcome,” his father said, mussing his hair. “Run along, now. I've got work to do.”

“Right, I'll see you later, Dad! Bye Dad!” Rian let go and ran off. He could do this. He knew he could. If it meant sword lessons every morning with his father, he was determined to pull this off.

[-]

As Ordon walked to return the training swords to the armory, he couldn't help but feel quite pleased with himself. This was going to work. Rian had something to motivate him to behave, that would focus his energy and ease his boredom. It was the perfect solution. _You were right as usual, Shoni. Turns out I'm not too bad at this parenting thing._

“Captain,” a voice rang out behind him.

He turned to see Commander Turran, Tolyn’s father and head of the perimeter patrol, heading down the hall toward him.

“Morning, Commander. Is there something you need?”

Nothing pressing,” Turran answered, catching up to him. “I was just thinking I need to relay the night watch’s report and when I saw you, I thought there was no time like the present.”

“Go on.”

“All quiet. The most they saw was a family of farmers from Sammi Thicket on their way to Ha’rar with trade goods.” The commander glanced down at the swords in Ordon’s hand. “Wood training swords? You must have some really green recruits coming.”

“These aren't for the guards. They’re for Rian.”

“Rian?” Turran questioned with some surprise. “How old is he, again?”

“Eleven,” Ordon answered. “It's early, I know, but I think it's just what he needs. Besides, I wasn't much older than him when I started my training.” He looked wistfully down at the swords as memories of his boyhood filled his head. “Even before then, I would break a branch off a tree and mimic the drills I saw the Stonewood Warriors practicing.”

“You know, I started Tolyn at 13, the _proper_ age.”

“I know, Turran,” Ordon mumbled, noting the self-satisfied tone in the commander’s voice. _Here we go._

“After all, I didn't want to exhaust him or take away from his academic lessons,” Turran went on. “I think he's better off for it.”

“I'm sure he is.”

“It taught him patience and discipline. Now he excels at his drills and he keeps up with his school work.”

Ordon noded. “He's a good lad.”

“No, I don't believe I would have done anything different in regards to Tolyn’s training. It's given him a good foundation that he's going to need. I'm not sure he would have gotten that if I flung him in before he was ready.”

Ordon let out a heavy sigh. “Turran, if you have a point, please get to it. I'm very busy.”

“You and I are in a unique position as officers and as parents” Turran explained as they finally reached the armory. “As my son is older than yours, I am a few years ahead of you on that front. Now that you've reached an important milestone, albeit be earlier than expected, I thought my experiences with Tolyn would be relevant.”

“I see, thank you.” Ordon returned the wood training swords to their proper place and closed and locked the armory. “Now, if there's nothing else, I need to get the morning report to the from the castle guards.”

Turran nodded. “Of course, Captain.”

Ordon and Turran went their separate ways. As he walked away, he felt like he could breathe again. Turran was a diligent commander and he did his job well. Be that as it may, his self-aggrandizing could be tiring, especially when there's a detectable hint of jealousy behind the words. Not that there was anything to be jealous of. Ordon made this decision, not to boost his son's talents, but to keep him out of trouble. Time would tell, however, if he made the right call.

[-]

Later that day, he met with Maudra Fara to say goodbye as she departed for Stone-in-the Wood. They were readying the landstriders when Orton met them in the entry hall.

“I already said goodbye to Rian,” Maudra Fara said when he joined her and her guards. “He was all abuzz about his wood training lesson this morning.”

“I found the solution to his problems,” Ordon answered. “The boy is restless. That's all. He needs to focus his energy into something productive. Plus, the lessons give him extra incentive to complete his school work.”

She smirked. “And you managed to use your sword to solve that problem too. Well done.”

Ordon let her teasing go with a sigh. “You are right. This is a hard place for a child to live. He needs a way to occupy his time without getting into trouble.”

Fara’s face softened into a warm smile. “Of course, you know, if you and Rian ever wanted to return to Stone-in-the-Wood, we would welcome you back with open arms. I can always use a captain in my guard.”

At that, the stonewood guard behind her stopped packing his land strider and turned his attention toward them. “Beg pardon Maudra Fara, but that's my job.”

Her playful smirk reappeared. “There, you see? You can have his job.”

“I'm not after your job, Jonan,” Ordon assured the now-nervous-looking gelfling. He then turned back to his Maudra. “Perhaps when I retire, I will return. Until then, I am needed here.”

“I can't imagine you retired. You'd miss scaring people too much. Then again, every village needs a curmudgeonly old-timer who terrifies the local children.” She slapped a hand on his shoulder. “That could be you.”

“It would be nice knowing I still had a purpose,” Ordon said, pealing her hand off him.

“Please, after the Arathim Wars, you more than earned a peaceful retirement. At least say you'll visit more often.”

“I'll try, if I'm able to get away.”

Seemingly satisfied. Maudra Fara climbed onto her landstrider. They said their final goodbyes and she commanded her party away. Ordon watched as they rode down the ramp and off into the landscape.

Fara’s ideas lingered in his mind. Memories of his childhood in Stone-in-the-Wood came back to him. He recalled exploring the Endless Forest, fishing in the stream, camping under the stars with a few friends, and later training alongside those same friends as young warriors. It was the sort of life he expected his son to have when Rian was born. Perhaps it wasn't too late. Perhaps they could return to Stone-in-the-Wood. Rian could grow up as every other children in the clan and experience all he did.

“Captain?”

He turned to see his guards awaiting their orders. “Return to your posts and continue your patrols as usual.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The guards dispersed and Ordon headed back into the castle, mentally listing the things he had left to do that day. He shook off any fanciful notions of home. His job was here. The Lords were generous enough to offer him this position. It would be ungrateful to resign now, especially since he turned down their first offer in favor of starting a family with Shoni.

His mine turned to that cozy little cottage on the edge of the village. At least it was cozy for several trine. He had happy memories there. Moving in with Shoni as newlyweds, the birth of his first son, watching Rian from a wriggly little baby into an active boy. Some other family was filling it with their memories now. That was good. Better that than it staying empty.

He remembered how cold and lonely that house felt after he and Rian returned from Shoney's burial ceremony. Rian clung to his side for several days after, becoming upset if he had to leave for a few hours. Ordon was completely ill-equipped to soothe him. Neither of them could bear to stay in that cold house, not without Shoni there to fill it with her warmth.

Taking this position and moving to the castle was the for the best. They were needed here and at least here, he could be useful.


End file.
